Every year, more than 2,000 Canadians are infected with HIV in Canada. In Manitoba, the number of new diagnoses is increasing. Aboriginal people and African newcomers would be the main victims, but for a variety of reasons. There is also a rise in young people being affected all over the country.

It’s impossible to say that a person is HIV-positive just by looking at them

One of the risk factors for Aboriginal people is poverty.

One risk factor for African newcomers is that the image of people living with HIV in African countries is very different from what we have in Canada. There is a false sense of security here.

For young people, AIDS isn’t seen as a big problem anymore. They tell themselves that if they are infected, they just have to go to a doctor, take medication and the problem is solved. They do not understand that it’s for life.

Thanks to advances in science, it is now possible to live almost normally after being diagnosed with HIV.